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US Soccer has overturned a ban on football players kneeling during the national anthem.
The rule was introduced in 2016 after women’s star Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the anthem in protest against racial injustice.
The US Soccer board described its previous stance as “wrong”.
The move comes amid worldwide protests over the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis last month. His death has brought a renewed focus to the issue of racism and police brutality.
In a statement, the US Soccer Federation said taking a knee was a form of protest against “police brutality and the systematic oppression of Black people and people of colour in America”.
The decision to ban the gesture, it went on to say, “was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter.”
On Saturday, the National Football League (NFL) overturned its own ban on players kneeling.
Taking a knee has been used in many protests since Floyd’s death.